Minister of Defense Lloyd Austin rebuked an argument from his possible successor, Piet Hegseththat women should not get into battle while aiming West Point cadets.
“It’s not 1948. It’s 2024,” Austin told the cadets on Wednesday, apparently referring to the year President Harry Truman banned segregation in the armed forces.
“We need every qualified citizen to step up to wear the clothes of our nation. And any military that rejects tough, talented patriots – women or men – only makes itself weaker and smaller,” he added. “So enough already.”
president-elect Donald Trump Hegseth, the former Fox News host and Army veteran, tapped to lead the Defense Department, but unclear whether he will receive the necessary Senate support to be confirmed, given questions about his past conduct.
He was charged with sexual assault in 2017 over an encounter he said was consensual, though years later he agreed to a plea deal ahead of a possible trial. Hegseth was never charged in connection with the incident. He has also faced allegations of mismanaging funds at two veteran-focused nonprofits alcohol abuseclaims he also denies.
Hegseth had held his positions in the department in the weeks leading up to his appointment, saying, among other things, that he did not believe women should serve in combat roles.
“I’m just saying honestly that we shouldn’t have women in combat roles. It hasn’t made us more effective. Didn’t make us deadlier. Made fighting more complicated,” Hegseth said on a podcast in November.
He said he believes women have a role in the military, but not in special operations, artillery, infantry and armor units.
Austin did not mention Hegseth by name during his address to cadets, but he spoke at length about his three tours in Iraq, praising the female soldiers he encountered. He also served one term in Afghanistan.
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“They faced the same dangers as the men,” Austin said, referring to the American advance on Baghdad in 2003. “Actually, they faced more. And in no uncertain terms they told me to stop talking and start fighting. And those are the women of the US military. And everywhere I’ve been on a battlefield, I’ve seen women fighting for America.”
Hegseth and Austin also have opposing views on the importance of diversity in the military. Under Austin, the department has emphasized diversity and inclusion, while Hegseth — and many other Republicans — believe this comes at the expense of the armed forces.